I love summer, I love fresh food and I love engaging with the city of Detroit. So, what better way to spend some free time this season than volunteering a few hours a week at an Urban Garden downtown. I connected with Labrosse Farm one day when I was visiting the Corktown Farmers Market located right out front of Detroit Institute of Bagels, (which I highly recommend, btw) and asked if they could ever use a helping hand. Dawn DeMuyt welcomed me with open arms and a new friendship has been born.

Of course, you can't spend anytime working in this urban oasis amidst all the fluffy and fragrant tomato plants without wanting to taste what's growing. My interest was particularly piqued by one of Dawn's new value-added products, the Heirloom Tomato Spicy Jam. As soon as I tasted it my mind started thinking up all the possible recipe ideas to showcase this deliciously tasty treat. Starting first....tomato jam stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon. Yes, they are as good as they sound!

With just 5 ingredients, these "poppers" are loaded with a crazy amount of flavor. The balanced sweetness and tanginess of the Tomato Jam paired with the saltiness of the bacon and the heat from the pepper is simply out of this world and I promise you, they are a total crowd-pleaser. Everyone goes gaga for them. Its awesome! So be sure to serve them up at your next party, whether it's a backyard bash this summer or a wintery soiree. The beauty of the jam is it preserves summertime tomatoes so they can be enjoyed all year long!

*You can pick up your own jar of Heirloom Tomato Jam and farm fresh produce from Labrosse Farm on Thursday evenings at the Corktown Farmers Market or Saturdays at Eastern Market in Shed #2.

Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and let soften at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut jalapenos in half from stem to end. Use a spoon to clean out any seeds and ribbing. Be careful not to pierce through the wall of each pepper. The heat of the jalapenos can transfer to your skin so be careful when handling hot peppers. Wear gloves and wash hands immediately after handling.

To the softened cream cheese, add the tomato jam and mayonnaise and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To stuff the peppers, I like to scoop the tomato jam mixture into a food-storage baggie, gathering it into one corner. Cut off a small piece of the corner, then use this like a piping bag to squeeze the filling into each pepper. If you don't have a baggie, you can also just use a spoon to scoop the filling. Once the peppers are all filled, place in the refrigerator and chill while the bacon pre-cooks.

For easier clean up, line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Cut bacon slices in half and arrange in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. It's best if pieces don't touch each other. Place in the pre-heated oven and cook until bacon is just barely starting to turn golden brown but is still pliable, about 8-10 minutes.

Remove partially cooked bacon from the oven. Bacon will be hot so use a fork or tongs to handle. Place bacon slices on a piece of paper towel and blot off excess grease. Place one piece of jalapeno on top of a piece of bacon and wrap the ends up and over. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon in place. (I apologize for my skewer-like toothpicks. I realized at the very last minute I was out of normal toothpicks, so I had to improvise!) Arrange wrapped peppers on another sheet pan lined with fresh foil.**

Place bacon-wrapped jalapenos back in the oven and cook until bacon is crisp and peppers are tender, about 10-15 more minutes.

Allow cooked "poppers" to cool slightly before removing toothpicks. Tomato Jam Jalapenos taste great served warm or at room temperature!

**I prefer to line a clean sheet pan with fresh aluminum foil to finish cooking. If you need to re-use the first sheet pan, carefully fold up the sides of the foil to contain the bacon grease as best as possible and transfer gently to a heat-proof bowl or dish to cool. Once cool, you can transfer to a trash bag. Don't ever pour bacon grease down the drain.

Emily - these were so easy to make and SO TASTY! Absolutely a yummy party treat any time of the year. You are right about the not thick cut bacon tho - which is what I had on hand. The thin bacon would cook though where my thick bacon did not. I also may have been overzealous with wrapping too much bacon around the popper. Well when one loves bacon!!?? The photo is gorgeous, and for this appetizer, less is more when it comes to the bacon! Thanks for your creative use of the tomato jam!

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Hi! I'm Emily, and this is the official blog of Guest Chef, my personal chef and catering business serving Metro Detroit. As much as I love to cook for people, I also love inspiring others to cook great food for themselves and their friends and family. Which is why I share recipes, tips and inspiration here. Follow along and let's cook something great together!